You're a Good Man, Sister

It was a beautiful day for the RVA Street Art Fest.

But since I'd already been to it two of the past three days, I opted for a dark theater instead.

Movieland was showing "The Maltese Falcon," yet another classic I'd never seen.

But apparently everyone else has (or they were at the festival) because when I walked in, there was one couple in the theater.

"We're all full up," the husband called down to me, employing his best corny humor.

Once the pre-movie advertising began, I discovered just how much I had in common with the couple.

After a particularly atrocious commercial for a new ABC series, the husband said, "I'm glad we don't have a TV!"

Amen, I called up to them, knowing I had found my people.

Once the movie started, a smattering of other people came in, but I can't be sure they were of our ilk.

As so often happens when I see an old movie for the first time, I learn cultural history tidbits.

I had no idea that the names for the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan came from characters in this movie.

First Bert and Ernie and now this.

The beautiful black and white cinematography, the creative angles from which it was shot (looking up at Fatman's jowls as he talks) and the frequency with which everyone smoked (giving many scenes a hazy, film noir look) made for a whole lot of eye candy.

Not to mention how handsome Humphrey Bogart was in 1941...especially when he smiled

"That's the stuff that dreams are made of," he says at the end.

From Shakespeare's pen to Bogey's lips. Now I know that, too.